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Coach Johnson’s Tuesday Press Conference
9/14/2004
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| Coach Johnson spoke with reporters in advance of Saturday’s game at Ole Miss. |
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Coach Johnson’s Tuesday Press Conference
Coach Bobby Johnson addressed local media Tuesday in advance of the Commodores’ game against Ole Miss on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 11:30 a.m. CT.
Head Coach Bobby Johnson
On playing in rain or the elements…
“Ole Miss has the same turf that we have on our practice field. We have played a few practices in the rain and have had no problems with footing or otherwise.”
On how the Ole Miss offense compares to South Carolina…
“We are facing a different type of offense with Ole Miss than we did with South Carolina. Ole Miss runs the ball more conventionally whereas South Carolina was a one-back run team. We have to teach our guys to be great tacklers no matter what offense we are facing.”
On VU’s tackling in the South Carolina game…
“If you look at any game, you will see players miss tackles. We work on it every week. Sometimes players get in the heat of battle and they forget their tackling technique. Having great technique makes you a better tackler.”
On the play of S Kelechi Ohanaja against South Carolina…
“Kelechi played a good game, and had a number of good tackles. He adjusted well to South Carolina’s style of play versus last year where his movements were more robotic.”
On the Ole Miss quarterback situation (Michael Spurlock and Ethan Flatt)…
“There was little, if any, change in the play of Ole Miss with the different quarterbacks. They still run the same play action passes. There was no big variation with the two different quarterbacks.”
On the team’s week of practice since the South Carolina loss…
“I was encouraged by what I saw. We had one of our best scrimmages in practice after the South Carolina game. People think that a team can’t practice after losing a game. It’s not true.”
On the emotion in the South Carolina game…
“I want to see our players them play hard. That doesn’t mean they necessarily have to get up from a great play and beat on their chests; that’s not always necessary. I would rather they get up, get in the huddle, and get ready to play.”
On the use of last year’s game film as preparation…
“We will definitely use it as a base since Ole Miss is really only losing one major player. Ole Miss’ quarterback has a great arm and he is a great player.”
On Trey Holloway’s first game at center…
“Trey played good. He had one bad snap which turned bad for us but overall he had a good game. You have to remember that Trey has never played center. It’s a very tough spot for someone. I thought he responded very well.”
On who he would like to see step up at Ole Miss…
“All of them.”
On Vanderbilt’s injury situation…
“We are not in that bad of shape. Richard Freeman, a defensive end, is back and ready to play. Aaron Carter may not play on Saturday but that will be a game time decision. The two will simply flip positions.”
On the play of DE Jovan Haye against South Carolina…
“It wasn’t as much Jovan as it was South Carolina. They did not allow him to do what he does well. As a defensive player, sometimes the action does not always come your way.”
Junior Quarterback Jay Cutler
“As a team, we need to be more physical. We got pushed around by South Carolina but we are ready to go against Ole Miss. We watched the game film from South Carolina and we made a number of corrections.”
“One of the most important things our offense needs to do is simply protect the ball better.”
“I think we were a little flat emotionally against South Carolina. As a team, we let the game slip through our fingers. It’s very important that we move the ball early in the game and get some momentum.”
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